Photo Booth
by PiraNinJedi
Summary: Castiel discovers the wonders of a photo booth. Dean/Castiel


Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Supernatural. If I did, well, season 7 would be just a wee bit different.

Summary: Castiel discovers the wonders of a photo booth.

A/N: This story contains m/m, so if that offends you, then please leave. Any reviews/comments/questions/concerns are most welcome. Also, if there are any errors or discrepancies, please let me know so I can fix them.

Spoilers: Occurs sometime between Two Minutes to Midnight and Swan Song, season 5, just because I like the idea of a human Cas. Enjoy!

Castiel eyed the box warily. A curtain hung on the side of it and there was a screen attached with moving pictures of people smiling. Some were of young girls, smiling and making strange faces. Others were of couples that were obviously intimate. The angel moved closer, trying to get a better idea as to the purpose of the contraption.

A pair of teenagers, a boy and girl, stood in front of the box for a minute before stepping inside and pulling the curtain close. He could hear the girl giggling and after a few minutes, they stepped out and grabbed something from beneath the screen before wandering off.

"Cas, c'mon, we don't have all day," Dean called a few yards away. He had been on the phone, talking to his brother after having interviewed a witness for the case they were working. Castiel wished he could be of more help. He had been travelling with the Winchesters since he had woken in the hospital a month ago, because he had officially fallen from Heaven, lost powers and all.

He was about to ask Dean about the strange box, but before he could open his mouth, Dean said, "Talked to Sammy, he thinks it might be a Piasa, whatever the hell that is."

The case was a strange one, which seemed to be centered on a local wooded area. There were three separate instances of men going missing in a local wooded area, and reports of thunder and lightning storms. The storms were what drew the Winchesters to the area, but so far the case no longer seemed demonic.

"They are a Native American creature that feed on the flesh of man," Castiel responded, slightly distracted. "A more common name would be Thunderbird, as the flapping of their wings resembled thunder." He was gazing at the box, head tilted. If he asked Dean, he would surely receive a sarcastic answer of some sort that Castiel would have no idea what it meant. The hunter was fond of using cultural references that confused the angel. Maybe he would ask Sam about the box.

"Great, know how to get rid of it?" Dean questioned, earning the angel's attention. Castiel shook his head solemnly. "Figures. Sammy's gonna talk to Bobby, see if he knows how we can ice it."

Dean headed toward the mall exit, after a glance back showed that his angel was following. He was grateful to finally get out of that place; he couldn't stand malls and all the teenagers and mall walkers that were roaming around. When he spotted his beloved Impala, he inspected it for door dings and, after finding none, climbed in the car. Castiel took the passenger seat.

As they drove, Dean continually glanced at the ex-angel out of the corner of his eyes. He had been reluctant to have Castiel join them on the case, but Sam had pulled a bitch face and Castiel had looked at him with those insanely blue eyes, begging Dean to give him a chance.

As an angel, Castiel was a bad ass, demon-killing machine. But now that he was a human, he was vulnerable. More so, since he was still adjusting to being a human. He knew how to fight, but without his angelic mojo to back his punches, he wouldn't stand a chance. Dean hated putting the guy in danger, but he and Sam had ganged up on the older hunter and he had wavered underneath Castiel's intense stare.

After everything that Castiel had done for them, hell the guy had died for them, Dean owed him this much at least. If anything, Dean owed him way more than that, but he had no idea what else he could do. And what's more, he hadn't even thanked Castiel.

"Hey, Cas," he started, causing those blue eyes to fix on him. Dean hated chick-flick moments, but he knew he had to say this, "You know me and Sammy are grateful for everything you've done, right?"

The smile he was awarded was worth the embarrassment of any chick-flick moment, "Of course, Dean."

But he still hadn't said everything he really wanted to say. Dean opened his mouth, "And not just that. I mean, you died for what we, for what I…" Why was it so hard for him to just say those three little words? Instead, he was just beating around the bush, fighting to get those words out.

"It is okay, Dean. You're welcome."

They pulled into the hotel then and Castiel climbed out of the car, the moment gone. "Dammit," Dean sighed as he followed the angel inside. But maybe the lost moment was a good thing. After all, how would the ex-angel react if Dean told him how he felt? Surely nothing good would come from his confession. A punch to the face, probably. He decided to just bury the feelings and leave it at that.

Their hotel was another cheap place with a corny theme. The room they stayed in had faded green shamrocks on the walls, and in the bathroom, the mirror was shaped as shamrock as well.

"Hey," Sam said as they entered the room, looking up from his laptop.

"Talk to Bobby?" Dean asked as he took a seat on the edge of his bed. Castiel sat in the chair across from Sam, looking solemn as ever.

"Yeah. He said that the Illini tribe defeated it once, ambushing it and striking it with spears."

"Think it'll work?" Dean questioned, standing up. He grabbed a beer from the cooler, popping it open and taking a long drink.

"Don't know, but it's all we've got," Sam said, shutting his laptop and unplugging the cord from the wall.

"Great, so where do we get a spear?"

"There's a museum not too far from here, 'bout an hour drive. They're specialized in the history of tribes from Illinois; they might have something."

Dean shrugged, not all that excited about going to a museum. "Let's go check it out. You comin' Cas?"

"Yes," Castiel responded quickly and Dean nodded, heading out the door to his car. Now that he had finally earned his chance to prove that he was capable of hunting with the brothers, he wasn't going to give it up.

But first, he had something he needed to do. Sam was still packing up his laptop, and Castiel lingered, wanting to seize the opportunity. "Sam, may I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" Sam slung the messenger bag over his shoulders as he glanced at the fallen angel. Castiel recounted the box he had seen earlier and Sam smiled, "It's a photo booth." Before Castiel could ask anything else, Sam continued, "They take your picture and most people do it as a keepsake. They're geared for younger people, like teenagers, but anyone can use them."

Castiel tilted his head, remembering the pair of teenagers that he had seen use the contraption, and Sam's description seemed applicable. "I see. Thank you, Sam."

"C'mon, we're just goin' to a museum. No need to style your hair and makeup," Dean groused as he opened the door impatiently.

"Shut up, jerk," Sam protested as he exited the hotel, Castiel following.

"Bitch."

The museum, in fact, had a genuine spear, supposedly made by an Illini chief and blessed by the shaman of the tribe. If anything would work, the Winchesters assumed that would be it. After nightfall, they broke in and retrieved the weapon before returning to their hotel to plan their next move.

"The Piasa was known to take refuge in caves," Castiel offered helpfully while the brothers poured over a map of the state park. They marked where the three disappearances occurred, hoping that would help to pin down the location of the Piasa. That narrowed down the large expanse a bit, but it was still almost impossible to narrow it down completely. They agreed to check it out in the morning, during the daylight.

Castiel laid on the couch, his back stiff and unable to sleep. After an hour of tossing and turning, he flipped onto his back, frustrated. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the soft snores coming from the brothers. He wanted to wake Dean, to talk to him, but he knew from his time as an angel how important sleep was to the hunter. He so rarely got a decent night's rest anymore.

Instead, he stood, trying to be as quiet as possible, and exited the hotel after stumbling around getting dressed. He had grabbed a room key and the wallet that contained the fake ID that Dean had gotten for him. It also held some money and he planned on heading down to that diner that was only a few blocks away. There was a gnawing in his stomach and he had learned from Dean that that was the feeling of hunger.

He sat down in a booth and glanced over the menu that the waitress left for him. He knew that Dean would order a bacon cheeseburger with a slice of pie for dessert, and a beer to drink. Sam would order a salad with water. His brother, Gabriel would have ordered something sweet, like pancakes and chocolate milk. But in his time as a human, he had developed a taste for something different.

"May I get an egg salad sandwich with chips?" He responded when the waitress returned.

"And to drink?" She asked, writing down his order.

"Coffee, please."

"Alright, your order'll be right up," she said, cheerful despite the early hour. The clock on the wall read 2:36. Castiel wasn't the only customer in the diner, however. There was an older man in the far corner and a woman sitting on a barstool a few seats away.

True to her word, the waitress returned a couple minutes later with his order. He thanked her and ate his meal in silence.

He remembered the night before Ellen and Jo died, when Bobby had taken a photo of all of Team Free Will, as Dean called them. Castiel understood the reason for the picture, it was a way to remember who they had been at that moment in time. The photo booth that Sam had told him about, it was another way to capture memories. And the ex-angel wanted to try it, he wanted to have a photo to remember Dean.

With that thought in mind, Castiel left enough money on the table to pay for his meal and a tip. He returned to the hotel and stretched on the couch, finally able to sleep. Morning came too quickly and he woke to Dean storming into the hotel room, holding a brown paper bag.

"Rise 'n shine, Sleeping Beauty," the hunter said while digging through the bag. Castiel felt his face heating at the words. He started to talk but Dean continued, "Got some breakfast burritos, so eat up. We got a long day ahead of us."

He was right. The hunt went rather smoothly, but they had spent most of the day searching the forest for the cave where the Piasa dwelled. The creature slept and Dean managed to kill it with the spear. It was rather uneventful after everything, and the three men found themselves in a bar, toasting the easy hunt.

"Dude, I can't believe you're ignoring her," Sam said to Dean, indicating an attractive brunette at the other end of the bar.

"Huh, what? Oh, didn't even notice."

Sam eyed him warily, "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Dean said quickly. "I feel great, considering it's the end of the world. You know, you should go after her. You could use a little relaxation," he waggled his eyebrows and Sam scoffed.

Truth be told, women were the last thing on Dean's mind. His eyes slid over to the blue-eyed angel that sat a barstool away, watching the people in the bar. Castiel turned and caught the gaze. People buzzed around them, chatting loudly over the music, but neither paid attention. "Dean, I have a favor I wish to ask of you."

His expression was so serious, that Dean couldn't help but nod and say, "Yeah, what do you need?"

And twenty minutes later, they were breaking into the mall. The mall of all friggin' places. Whatever was on the angel's mind, Dean hadn't a clue. "Alright, what's going on, Cas?" He asked as he pocketed his lock-picking kit. But Castiel walked off and Dean had no choice but to follow the ex-angel.

"You can't be serious," Dean said as he spotted Castiel standing in front of a photo booth.

"Dean, please. I want something to remember you by," his tone was desperate and Dean, for the second time that night, nodded along. He inserted the appropriate amount of money before selecting a simple option.

He felt that warm sensation he always got when around his angel and through a moment of bravery, stepped into the booth, pulling Castiel in beside him. There was another screen in front of them and Castiel was confused, Dean could tell by the way he tilted his head to the side and stared with that questioning gaze.

A red light flashed three times before the camera took the first picture, startling Castiel. Dean could feel his heart pounding, and he felt like some teenager with his first crush. But dammit, he loved Castiel, he was finally able to admit to himself. And with that realization, he turned slightly in the confined space. To hell with consequences, he was tired of keeping everything bottled up.

Reaching out a hand, he forced Castiel to look at him, just as the camera flashed a second time. "Dean, what…" But before any other words could be spoken, Dean pressed his lips to Castiel's. When he got no response, Dean pulled away just a bit, their noses almost touching.

"Cas, I'm sorry, I…"

But the ex-angel cut him off, pulling on the hunter's collar and bringing him into another kiss. Castiel wasn't sure what he was doing, but the feel of Dean's lips against his, it felt right. He moaned into the kiss and Dean slid his tongue in, exploring and loving the taste of Castiel.

The moment seemed to last an eternity and yet again, not long enough. When his phone rang, they pulled apart, both breathless. Castiel's lips were swollen and his face flushed and Dean was certain he was in the same condition.

Dean glared angrily at his phone before balking, "Shit, completely forgot about Sammy."

As they scrambled from the booth, Castiel grabbed the pictures that had printed, smiling as he looked at them. The first one had Castiel looking confused and Dean glancing at the angel. The second, they were facing each other, Dean's hand on Castiel's cheek. In the third photo, they were kissing, Castiel's eyes wide with surprise, but the fourth one had Castiel clutching at Dean's shirt and Dean with a hand in the angel's hair.

Castiel slid the photo strip into his pocket as he followed Dean to his car. He decided that photo booths were a wonderful invention.

A/N: In case any of you are interested, the Piasa is a pterodactyl-like creature that the Illini believed caused thunder and lightning. It would swoop down on unsuspecting warriors and eat them. Finally, a group of Illini warriors set up a trap for the Piasa, hiding in the bushes while their chief was bait. Once the Piasa appeared, the warriors attacked with spears, killing the creature. Or so the stories go.


End file.
